How Do You Come By a Signature Look?

Quick: What pops into your head when you read "Gwen Stefani"? My guess is it's crimson lips and platinum hair. Can you even picture her without them? More than any No Doubt single, the bold look helped turn her into an icon—and like many of the truly fashionable, she recognized her signature beauty style as soon as she saw it. In a recent interview with Harper's Bazaar, Stefani explains that her grandmother gave her the tube of red lipstick that started it all: "I remember sitting in my ghetto, beat-up Honda Prelude, and putting on that lipstick in the rearview mirror and being like, 'Uh-huh, I like that. That's the sh** right there.' I never stopped after that," she says.

It took her longer to find her go-to retina-searing shade of blonde, but once she did, she remembers thinking: "This is me. Finally."

My signature look isn't quite as rock and roll…but I do believe I've found the hairstyle I'll stick with, one that feels like me. The lightening bolt happened when I got bangs last year: I instantly loved the '70s-inspired fringe I tried out on a whim—and honestly envision myself growing old with it.

What about you? Have you discovered a signature look—through trial and error or a flash of genius? Or do you like to switch it up?